Can you save me?
by The Girl from La La land
Summary: (This is my first ever Fanfic) Hermione runs into a broken Draco Malfoy one night. While both of their worlds are falling apart can they save each other? Can their worlds collide to make a new one?
1. Chapter 1

Hermione checked her watch and glanced down the road once more. "Ginny's going to be worried sick if I don't make it home soon" she thought as she rubbed her hands over her arms and released her warm breath; watching it form a white puff in the frigid night air.

Pulling her coat tighter around herself, she leaned into the road and checked once more the bus. Still, the road was empty and so were the streets. Sighing to herself she finally gave up and decided to walk home. "It's just a little ways over the bridge" she tells herself, keeping an eye on her surroundings, and her right hand on her wand which is tucked away inside her coat; she began to make her way down the road and onto the bridge.

Her head is down and she is lost thought of how she is going to explain to Ginny why she was out so late. She doesn't know if Ginny can take the truth of what she was doing, Hermione needed to think of something to keep Ginny from asking her questions, at least for now.

Tense and on edge, a small noise from her left had Hermione jerking away from her thoughts. She was in the middle of the bridge now; she turned to see that no one was behind her or in front of her. Upon closer inspection, Hermione seemed to be alone on the bridge; until another small noise had her examining the shadows that had claimed the bridge after the sun fell behind the horizon.

In the dim shadows from a half lit street lamp, she sees him there. His back is to her but she would recognize the tall, lean shape and white-blonde hair anywhere. He was standing on the thin, rusted bar that was the bridge railing, and leaning dangerously over the bridge; peering down at the still water beneath them.

Uncertainty crossed Hermione's mind in quick flashes. She should keep walking, he was no concern of hers; but like always she was driven to do what she felt was right. With a quick glance up and down the street Hermione rushed across the road, the soft clicking of her shoes causing him to turn around to face her.

A shaky hand raked through his hair as he peered down at her. She couldn't see the tear streaks on his face, but the tears had made his eyes appear almost see-through. They stood frozen, staring at one another. She hadn't seen him since the battle of Hogwarts when, no; she refused to think about that right now. She needed to deal with the issue at hand.

Surprisingly, he was the first to speak. "Granger." He spat her name at her like when they were younger. "Malfoy." She said politely, slightly nodding her head. If she wasn't careful the excuse she would give to Ginny would be that she had saw someone commit suicide.

"W-what are you doing up there Malfoy?" she asked in a small whisper, the last thing she wanted was to see another life be ended. Especially since there could be a repeat of… "No. We are not thinking of that right now. Stay focused!" she scolded herself mentally.

Malfoy gave a laugh of sorts that sounded more like a heart crushing sob.

"Well Granger I don't know what I'm doing up here. Why don't you tell me?" he said bitterly raking his hand through his hair again.

"Well, it would appear that you are about to commit suicide." She said in her natural know-it-all voice.

"Bravo Granger. You live up to your name of 'The brightest witch of our age' don't you? But then again, the people of our age think Potter is great so really, it's no big accomplishment." He said, turning and peering down back over the edge of the bridge. He tilted and Hermione gasped as she saw Draco's fingers begin to slow slip from the metal pole he had been grasping. "Draco don't!" she yelled, echoing throughout the empty night air.

"Why should you care Granger?" he asked, as a deep breath rattled out of him.

She knew why she cared, of course she knew. She wished she didn't. Not wanting to dig up the past she looked away, searching for something to say.

"Y-you've got to have something worth living for?" she meant it as a statement, but her uncertainty made her form it as a question. She had been in battle, she had nearly lost her life, she had seen lives taken from her, she herself had taken lives; but never had she been in a situation where someone was about to take their own life.

"No." he answered, his face griming and eyes darkening "Nothing."

"Y-you um-" Hermione searched desperately for something to say, for the_ right _thing to say.

Malfoy hung his head and shook it. When he looked back at Hermione his face was scrunched up and his lower lip was trembling from the tears that were threatening to over take him.

"I've got nothing Granger." He said quietly, his voice breaking.

"My mum is dead, my father is in Askaban for life and on visiting days-which are once every two years- he won't even look at me. Malfoy manor was burned down, and I'm a disgrace to what is left of the Deatheaters. Not to mention I haven't been happy in a relationship since…" he let his voice die off, turning away from Hermiones gentle gaze.

"Everything that is broken," Hermione began slowly, still looking up at him. "Can be repaired."

"Not me. I'm gone beyond repair." He said, shaking his head as his hand started to move once more from the railing that was keeping him steady.

"Draco stop!" Hermione screamed desperately. "I- I will help you! J-just don't do this!" she yelled frantically. She had no idea what she was getting herself into, but she knew that she couldn't watch this man die, she had seen enough deaths to last her a life time.

"J-just let me try. To help!" the words fumbled awkwardly out of her mouth.

"I'm telling you -you git- that there is no helping me!" he said half heartedly. "Besides_ Mudblood_, why should you care anyways?" he asked coldly.

"Because whether or not you want face it, we went through horrible things a couple of years ago and don't act like you weren't hardly touched by them Malfoy! We have seen and been through awful, unimaginable things and we need to be stronger than what happened in our pasts. I always knew you were a coward, but not so much of one to take your own life rather than deal with what shards of one you have left. Now get down off of the bloody ledge and let me help you!" Hermione said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Malfoys barking laugh caught Hermione off guard and she let her hands drop to her side.

"And just what- might I ask- is so funny?" she inquired, her face turning a slight pink.

"You. How you think it's _so easy _to be strong. Well _mudblood_, it's not. Not everyone came out of that battle with just little scratches that Madam Pomfrey could heal in seconds. Not everyone ended up with a _Weasley _and a happy ending." Malfoy said mockingly. Hermione shook at the mention of Ron. No, things hadn't gone as planned with him but that was none of Draco's business.

'I will try one last time. If I don't get through to him, I will walk away; and inform the police of his body at the bottom' Hermione thought releasing a sigh. "I lost a lot of people in the battle. People _you_ wouldn't of cared about, but I did. At least you had your parents to go back to, mine don't even know I exist. In fact, they had another daughter and named her Harmony. I was _replaced_ by my parents because of that war, at least _you_ had something to go back to. Now, get off of that BLOODY RAILING! And let me help you!" she shouted at him angrily her fist shaking at her side. Merlin did he know how to make her furious just by being alive. She had to do the right thing here, and letting him die wasn't it.

Draco's face was pale and blank as tears still continued to run silently down it. After a long moment he whispered: "How do you do it?" his voice cracking ever so slightly. This time it was Hermione who laughed, though hers came out soft, slightly hysterical noise. Hermione through her hands in the air and let them fall back to their place beside her. "I honestly don't know, I- I just do." She said shaking her head. Slowly, as if approaching a frightened animal Hermione reached up and offered Draco her shaking hand. Draco simply stared blankly at it for moment, before hesitantly reaching down and grasping Hermione's warm outstretched hand.

Jumping down Draco leaned against the railing for support. They stood there in silence for a moment, Hermione watching Draco a few feet away from her, and Draco fighting to get himself under control. He was shaking uncontrollably from nerves and the cold air. It was then Hermione realized he must be freezing, wearing nothing but a short sleeved black cotton shirt and a pair of jeans.

After a moment Hermione said: "Come on. You can stay at my flat with Ginny and I. We will talk more about everything tomorrow." Said Hermione, starting to walk and not looking back to see if Draco was following. Draco's fast footsteps soon fell in stride with Hermione's and they walked in silence. "Won't the Weasley be upset that a Malfoy is in her home?" he asked, not realizing the disgusted emphasis that he had put on the name Weasley. "She will. But she will also understand once I talk to her." Hermione said nodding. "What have I come down too? Seeking help from a Weasley and a Mudblood." Draco scoffed, his warm breathe creating a soft white cloud in the freezing night air. "It's better than being a coward and ending your life." Said Hermione impatiently. Draco felt the sting of Hermione's words, and decided he would prove her wrong; he was no longer going to be a coward.


	2. Chapter 2: Memories

An angry, startled scream had Hermione bolting upright in bed and darting out of her bedroom door; wand raised and heart pounding. Just a few feet in front of her stood a red faced Ginny Weasley with her wand pointed at a half-asleep Draco Malfoy. His white-blonde hair tousled and sticking up at different ends; his eyes were wide open, but his face was riddled with sleepy confusion that gave him an almost child-like appearance.

All at once everything from last night came crashing in through her hazy memory as she shook her head. "Ginny, put you wand down. Everything is ok." Said Hermione looking at her red haired friend who-despite the too big navy blue shirt and baggy kitty cat pajamas- looked as if she could hex the Malfoy boy into oblivion in two seconds flat.

"Why is he on our bloody sofa?" Ginny asked, turning around to face her curly brown haired friend. Hermione took a couple of hesitating steps towards Ginny and in a low voice said: "Ginny, just let me explain." Hermione begged. Slowly Ginny laid her wand to rest by her side with her hands. Hermione gave her a grateful smile and grabbed Ginny's wrist, pulling her towards Hermione's open bed room door. Shooting a quick glance at Draco she said: "Go back to sleep for now, we will wake you up _after_ Ginny has cooled off." Draco simply rolled his eyes and fell heavily back onto the couch, buried in blankets that nearly swallowed him entirely.

Closing her bedroom door with a soft click, Hermione turned and released a sigh at Ginny; trying to find the best way to explain herself to her friend. They stood in silence as Hermione gathered and organized her thoughts. Hermione's room was a simple square, with two of the four walls lined with books, along the other wall was a dresser with neatly arranged beauty products-though not many- a couple of knick-nacks, and a few framed photos of people Hermione held close. A picture of the entire Weasley family with Harry and Her standing amongst them, Harry, Ron, and Her returning to Hogwarts for their fourth year, and her favorite; a picture that included: Harry, Ron, Luna, Neville, Ginny, Professor McGonagall, and Hermione herself all standing in front of the rebuilt Hogwarts castle; waving and smiling as they awaited the fresh start that each person so desperately craved.

Clearing her throat Hermione motioned for Ginny to sit down in the window seat that was in the center of a book self. It was Hermione's favorite seat, where she would spend hours upon hours reading, and feeling she was sitting within the book case itself. As Ginny sat Hermione quickly launched into the events that had occurred the night before, leaving out the real reason she was out so late. When she finished she waited while everything she had just said sunk into Ginny Weasley's mind.

"I don't know how _I_ am supposed to help _him._" She said after a moment, absentmindedly combing her fingers through her long red hair. "We just have to show him that he can make a life for himself, that everything can be rebuilt." Said Hermione taking a seat on the corner of her bed, twirling her wand across her fingers. "I'm sorry, but I don't know how to do that… Yeah, the Weasley's took a blow from the war, but we moved on. We came closer, and even Gorge is doing better." Said Ginny her bright brown eyes becoming glassy.

"Is it even possible to save a coward like him?" Ginny asked sending a hate filled glance at the bedroom door as if she could see Malfoy's sleeping figure on the couch just on the other side of the room. "I don't know. But it's wrong of us to just let him… kill himself knowing that we could in some way help him." Hermione said shooting a pleading glance at her friend in the window seat. Ginny pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin upon them. "How can we try?" she asked loosing herself in thought. Hermione sat quietly turning idea after idea over in her head. He used to be a death eater, he has used dark magic and he is a stuck up pureblood git. He is known for being flighty, and a coward; but in a way, he was loyal- just to the wrong people. If there ever was a time and chance to change Draco Malfoy into a decent person, this would be it.

After a long moment Hermione's thoughts trailed to the secrets that she was keeping from her friend, and where she really was last night and what kept her out late. Eventually Hermione's thoughts collided and the perfect idea hit her. "Ginny!" she said jumping up excitedly. Ginny's head snapped up to look at the suddenly excited Hermione who had pulled her from her thoughts of life before the war- the times that she found she missed most on some days. "What?" asked Ginny unfolding her knees and swinging her legs down and onto the floor. "What time will Ron and Harry be here today?" Hermione inquired looking at her watch. "Um- I'm not quite sure, not until later this evening certainly. Harry said that they had a couple of things to do, and that they would be here for supper." Ginny answered, giving her curly haired friend a questioning look. Hermione knew instantly what the 'things' were and hoped that the boys were okay. "Alright, I think I know what I am going to do. I'll be back later this afternoon. Don't wait for lunch; we will get something on our way back." Hermione said, grabbing her hair brush and tossing her wild curls into a messy bun. "We?" Ginny asked confused as Hermione walked into her bathroom and changed into a lavender colored long sleeved shirt and a black pair of jeans. "Draco and I; I have to know if he is willing to take the help we are offering him." Hermione said as she busied herself pulling on socks and tennis shoes.

"Ginny," Hermione said in a serious tone after tucking her wand safely into the inside pocket of the coat she had just pulled on. Ginny shot a concerned look to Hermione after hearing the sudden change in her tone. "There are some things that we- Harry, Ron, and I- need to tell you when we get back tonight. Just, keep your wand close to you okay?" Hermione said, beginning to fear for the life her friend. It was silly, they didn't know anything for sure yet, but Hermione would rather have Ginny safe then lose her friend."Hermione, i-is everything okay?" Hermione hated the fear and concern that crossed Ginny's face. "Yeah, I just worry about you sometimes." Hermione lied, hating the guilty feeling that spread across her body as Ginny's shoulders relaxed and she nodded. "Alright. You be safe too, I don't care how broken he is, I still don't trust Draco." Said Ginny, leading the way out of the room. "I'll see you later today, are you coming back by Floo?" she asked shooting one last glance over her shoulder at Hermione. "I'm not sure, but we will be back for supper; promise." Said Hermione watching as Ginny's long red hair disappeared behind her own bedroom door at the very end of the hallway.

Quietly Hermione approached Draco's sleeping form. Only his eyes and the tips of his fingers were visible from beneath the thick down blanket that hid the rest of his form. His white-blonde hair still stuck out at places, and his face held the peaceful expression that came with sleep. Gently Hermione reached out her hand and just barely brushed her fingertips over the part of the blanket that covered his shoulder. She pulled her hand away and found herself wanting to touch his hair; to see if it was still the same like when-No, she wouldn't go there. If she was certain of anything, she was certain that _those_ times were over.

Hermione gently laid her hand on Draco's shoulder, "Draco." She whispered softly, giving his shoulder a gentle nudge. Draco's eyes fluttered open slowly; still filled with sleep. "Draco. Draco, get up." Said Hermione; keeping her voice low as she continued to gently nudge his shoulder. Draco sat up with a large inhale of breath as he wiped a hand across his face. Stretching he looked at Hermione who had backed away once he had begun to move, without a word she walked around the couch and into the small kitchen area that was behind it. Sometime during the night Draco had removed his short sleeved black cotton shirt and now stood to reveal a pale, leanly muscled back. Hermione let her eyes slowly wander over the Malfoy boy until she realized what she was doing a felt a small blush creep up her neck as she averted her gaze.

What Hermione had failed to remember was that in front of the couch-and Draco's face- was a small mirror that had a set of hooks at the bottom for holding keys. Draco had seen her admiring him from behind by the short glimpse he got of her in the mirror. He found the smallest of smirks make its way across his face, but as quickly as it had come, it vanished.

Pulling his shirt over his head Draco turned to watch as Hermione bustled aimlessly around the small kitchen area, putting away dishes, and opening cabinets just to close them again. "Well, I'm up. Now what Granger?" he asked in his natural snarky tone. "Now we are leaving so Ginny clean before her mother comes over. "Said Hermione moving swiftly towards the door with Draco on her heals. As they stepped out into the freezing air Hermione turned to lock the door and noticed the goose bumps that had risen on Draco's arms from the cold. "Don't you have any other clothing? You're going to freeze to death. "Hermione said unwinding her scarf and handing it to Draco. "I do, but it would be dangerous to go back for them." He answered her grimly. "Well then we can just go to diagon alley and get you something new to wear." Hermione said turning on her heal and walking off down the street once again not waiting to see if Draco was following behind. "Slow down Granger, I surely don't want to be back in time to see the woman who killed aunt." Draco said irritated as he finally caught up with Hermione. "I will have you know _Malfoy _your aunt died because she attempted to kill one of my best friends. She had it coming." Hermione said, letting venom drip from her words.

Draco's temper flared at the hostile words Hermione spat at him. "She may have had it coming, but she out lasted that pathetic _Weasley boy_ didn't she?" Draco sneered at Hermione. In one quick movement her had her wand out and raised level with Draco's throat, a few inches separating them. "Watch yourself Malfoy. We both know that in your eyes, only one thing is more disgraceful than committing suicide, and that is being killed by a Mudblood." Hermione said, her voice calm, low, and dangerous. Draco couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes and instead looked away, up the street in which they were on. Witches and Wizards moved in herds, moving from one shop to the next. Hermione, regaining her control lowered her wand from Draco's throat and took a step back. "Look, if you really want help in rebuilding your life, we are going to half to get along in some way." Hermione told him, her brown eyes boring into his light silvery-blue ones.

The death eaters are hunting me. And yet she is determined to help me begin a better life. Why? It couldn't have anything to do with their short time at Hogwarts, he was sure of that. She had made it very clear the way she wanted her life to go after school, and he hadn't been a part of it. He didn't really have an answer for the witch in front of him, so he simply nodded and they continued their way down the street of Diagon Alley towards Gringotts. Once they made it to the entrance Hermione stopped and said "I am going across the street to that book store," she said pointing. "I will meet you back here after you have finished your business inside of Gringotts." She told him, and began to make her way to the book store. Draco stood and watched her until she opened the small door and slipped inside. Once he knew that Hermione had made it safely to her destination Draco made his way inside the bank. As he waited to make a withdraw the warm air flowing throughout the bank had Draco drowning in the scent of Hermione from her scarf. It held its own unique scent, some sort of warmth and spice; it reminded Draco of sitting next to a fire while eating some type of Muggle candy called a Red Hot.

Draco's thoughts were swimming with Hermione so far today. He couldn't help but remember the better times at Hogwarts with her. Although she would never admit it nor would she tell a soul, Draco and Hermione were rather close at Hogwarts. They would study together in the library, and sometimes they wouldn't even study. Sometimes, if Draco tried hard enough, he could convince her to go exploring the castle with him before returning back to their common rooms. Only twice in his life had he kissed Hermione Granger, and the memory of each was forever burned into his mind. She was the only purely good thing to ever happen in his life, even though he would never admit it. After they had left Hogwarts, Draco spent his time looking for another relationship like the one he had held with Hermione at Hogwarts. He always found himself seeking someone who could challenge him, make him fight hard to win. Someone who wasn't afraid to tell him no, wouldn't give in without a fight that consisted of everything they had; someone who was better than he. Failed relationship after failed relationship had Draco giving up on ever finding anyone who was as perfect for him as Hermione Jean Granger.

He would never admit to it, but he was grateful that Hermione had popped back into his life just in time to keep him from killing himself. He didn't know how long she would stay in what shattered bits of a life he had left, but he was determined to do everything he could to make her _want_ to stay there.

Hermione checked around the desk in the empty bookstore. Technically the store was closed because the owner was away on 'Business' Hermione, however happened to be a part of that 'Business' and knew was somewhere around the shop. A large crashing sound from the storage room had Hermione running behind the counter, wand at the ready; to find a giggling Luna Lovegood sitting on the floor, a massive pile of books scattered across her lap and on the floor all around her. "Luna!" Hermione exclaimed, "Are you okay?" "Oh, I'm quite alright." Luna said in the naturally quiet tone of hers. "I just thought that maybe…" Hermione let her sentence die off, not sure she wanted to think about where it was going. "Everything is fine. I just stumbled, that's all. I'm pretty sure the Nargles had something to do with it." She said, her voice trailing off. "Listen Luna, I can't stay for long, I just wanted to come and inform you that I may have gotten us just the person we need for the last steps of the investigation." Hermione told her as she levitated the books off of Luna and muttered a charm that had them organizing themselves in alphabetical order by author. "Oh, that is wonderful news. Have they already agreed to the position?" asked Luna, brushing some dust off her skirt. "Uh, well… no. In fact, they don't know it exists yet. That is the thing, I am going to have tell them some our secrets -not all of them- at least not until I am entirely sure that I can still trust this person, but some information will have to be told." Hermione explained as Luna nodded her head in agreement. Luna sat quietly, examining Hermione. Finally she said: "At one point you could trust this person?" she asked in her soft tone. "Yes." Hermione answered looking away trying not to give Luna any hints as to who this person was.

"But then something happened, and at the moment you don't think you can still trust them the same as you once did?" she asked, her eyes never leaving Hermione. "That's right." Hermione said slowly, worried that Luna may already know who this person was. Luna's eyes skirted across Hermione; assessing her body language before asking one last question. "You're worried that the other members of the group are going to have an issue with this person when you inform them." She said, for once her tone being intensely serious. "Yes. Luna, do you think that you could meet us at the flat with Neville tonight in time supper?" Hermione asked, desperate for a change in subject. "Yes. Of course, that sounds delightful. Is this a member meeting?" she asked, her tone returning to its natural softness. "Sort of. I think it is time we tell Ginny what has been going on and we need to discuss this… possible new member of ours." Hermione told her, smiling slightly to herself at the thought of having Draco somewhat back in her life. No knew of their friend that had formed at Hogwarts, and as desperately as she tried, she could never ignore the empty feeling the leaving Draco behind had caused her to feel for the past two years. "Alright. Should I bring anything?" Luna asked, moving to sit behind the front desk. "Nope. I'll see you tonight." Hermione said, pulling Luna in for a quick hug before she dashed out the door.

'Get it together. He probably could care less that you even survived the Battle.' Hermione thought to herself as she approached the pacing Draco Malfoy outside of Gringotts. "What took you so bloody long Granger?" He demanded as soon as she was within hearing range. He is lost, he doesn't care. Hermione thought to herself. Fine. I don't care anyways, not after the way he shoved me from his life after the battle. Hermione felt her face harden as she snapped, "I had something to take of. Be grateful I came back for you at all you git."

"Whatever. What are we off to do now?" he asked impatiently, combing a hand through his hair. "We are going to get you a new wardrobe, and then stop for lunch." Hermione said coldly. Oh, and I am also going to be dropping bombshell after bombshell of information on you, she thought to herself. The perfect cure for your suicidal thoughts. I just hope this doesn't push you over the edge.


End file.
